


Hana

by Kitty (KutieKitty16)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, hanahaki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 16:12:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15295266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KutieKitty16/pseuds/Kitty
Summary: A broken Lance swears he will never love anyone again, pledging to a life of solitude. No one will ever be enough for him. What will happen when a stubborn Keith promises to piece together the defeated, blue boy?*Rated Teen for: graphic sexual themes, mature language, violence and abuse*Note: This was my first official Kitty fanfic, so don't expect art XD





	1. Anemone

Lance clutched the handle gently, twisting it to make the umbrella spin. The sounds of busy streets and blurred voices filled his ears, which many found overwhelming. Not Lance. He liked the chaos; it made him feel less alone. As he walked down the sidewalk, he watched the faces of those he passed by or the ones that stood across the street. He made note of a high school aged girl texting frantically on her cell phone. She looked angry, so Lance assumed she was having a fight with a boyfriend. A couple crossed in front of him, exiting a sweets shop. The man was feeding the woman a chocolate since her hands were full with bags and a shared umbrella. They made eye contact with Lance, so he flashed a warm smile, which they returned. He turned the corner and continued walking, watching the sides of the buildings for the right door. Finally, he found it and backed up under the awning and closed his yellow umbrella, shaking the water off. The bell jingled as he walked in. The smell of coffee and paper filled his nose and a friendly voice called to him.

"Welcome back, Lance!"

Lance turned to the woman that greeted him. She was a short, tan woman with straight brown hair and eyes to match. "Hey Linda. It's good to be back."

She handed him a plastic umbrella bag, "Did you finish the book already?"

"I did. It was really nice! Your recommendations are always a pleasant experience," he responded, accepting the bag and stuffing his umbrella in.

Linda held her hand out to Lance, "That's great to hear!"

Lance handed her the umbrella, which she set behind the counter. "Do you have any others that may interest me?"

"Hmm..." she thought, slightly rubbing her chin. "There is this one that I read a while ago that you may not have heard of. Let's see...it was called, um..."

Lance dried his shoes on the rug as she searched her mind.

"Oh! It was called, uh,  _When Breath Becomes Air_ by Paul Kalanithi." She stretched her arm out to point towards some shelves, "It should be in the third aisle from the back, probably around the middle section."

Lance smiled at her, "Thank you." He headed to where she had pointed. His hand trailed the sides of the bookshelves, sometimes hitting the spines of books as he passed. Lance scanned the titles, picking up a few books to read their synopses. After reading the summaries of about five books, he found the book Linda recommended. He ran his hands over the smooth cover and smelt the pages. He decided that it was worth it and purchased the book. After leaving the counter, he retrieved his umbrella from Linda and exited the store.

Lance turned back the way he came, the route as familiar as his own face. He turned the corner and passed the sweets shop the couple with the chocolate were in. He stopped and turned back to pick out something.   
He bought a package of cute little chocolates and munched on a couple before closing the bag. He also stopped to retrieve a couple boxes of tea. Finished running errands, he returned to his apartment. It was on the bigger side; money was not an issue for Lance. He was by no means a millionaire, but he certainly wasn't struggling. His parents were very supportive and have done everything they could to help. Lance appreciated everything they offered.

Lance prepared his kettle, coughing a couple times, and put it on the stove. While the water heated up, he put the tea he had bought in the cabinet and pulled his new book out of the bag, setting it on the table next to the chocolates. He glanced over at the kettle, which had yet to whistle. Lance thought for a second, then sat down and opened the book.

After reading for a while, he was interrupted by the kettle and got up to prepare a cup of tea, wrapping the outer covering around the pages he read to mark his spot. As he let the tea steep for a minute, he kicked off his shoes and traded his jacket for a cranberry-colored sweater cardigan. Then, he curled up on his couch with the mug of tea. Wrapping the sweater around himself, he stared out the window wall at the sunset rain.

The rain was calm. Relaxing. But it stood for a time of happiness. No, it is happiness. The sun is hot and unforgiving.

But...

the rain just wants to be hugged.


	2. White Clover

Lance had done his morning routine. It took a lot of work to make his skin look good. Creams, oils, and face washes were cluttered on the bathroom counter. He noticed that his skin looked paler today, so he did his makeup as well. Lance was in the middle of yoga when the doorbell rang. He stood and went to answer it.

Once he opened the door, a perky delivery man greeted him, "Good morning, Lance! I've got your packages from the pharmacy."

"Hey Juno." He took the clipboard and signed the papers, "How are you today?"

Juno took the clipboard back, "I'm doing great."

"The cat's still alive?" Lance joked.

"Of course! I'm the best owner!"

The two laughed and Juno left Lance with two boxes to bring in. He knelt down to pick up one of them, but it was heavier than Lance thought, which caused him to struggle and cough a few times. He tried the next one. It was light, so he picked it up and brought it to the dining table, then went back to attempt to move the other one again. He tried picking it up a couple times, then he tried pushing it, but to no avail.

"Would you like some help?"

Lance looked up to find a man standing next to him. He was around Lance's age. White skin and black mullet. He was wearing jeans and a black leather jacket; and held a brown satchel in one hand and his keys in the other. Lance stood up to face him. He felt underdressed with his grey yoga pants and loose pink yoga shirt. He was also barefoot.

"I live next door, and I've never introduced myself," he rubbed the back of his neck, "My name's Keith."

Lance looked down at the box, then back at Keith, "I've got it." He attempted picking it up again, but failed.

Keith set down his satchel and put his keys in his pocket, "You don't look like you've got it." He knelt down and picked up the box easily.

Lance stared at the box in his hands for a moment, then up at Keith, "Show-off."

Keith chuckled, "Where should I put this?"

Lance opened his door wide to allow Keith to enter. "You can set it on that table," he pointed to where the other box lied.

Keith put down the box and took a look around the apartment, "This is a nice place."

"Thank you," he said, "for the compliment and the help." He walked toward the door as to see Keith out, but he didn't follow.

He looked at the view from the window wall, "It's a nice day, isn't it?"

Lance glanced out the window. It was a sunny day, which wasn't 'good weather' for him. "Are you trying to make small talk?"

Keith looked down and kicked his foot out a little. "You caught me," he chuckled.

"I will see you out," Lance said, raising his arm toward the entranceway.

Keith let out a little embarrassed sigh and followed Lance to the door. Once he exited, he started to say something, but Lance shut the door. He wasn't interested in getting involved with a guy like that; or any guy for that matter. After putting away the contents of the boxes, he made some tea. With a cold shot of water, he took a couple pills and grabbed his new book and mug of tea. He sat on the couch and got comfortable.

After opening the book, he glanced out the window. It was just the same as earlier: a sunny autumn morning. Lance set his things on the end table and got up to close the blinds. He turned the tv to some coffee shop music and grabbed a blanket. He got comfy on the couch again and opened his book, starting from where he left off yesterday. After reading for a moment, he closed the book, unable to get his head in a reading mood. Lance tossed the book on the coffee table and sat with his arms crossed.  _How could anyone think this was good weather?_ he thought.  _It's probably humid from the rain yesterday, and the sun is blinding and hot._ He took his phone from his pocket and checked the weather. It was supposed to be cold. He locked the screen and stood up.

Going into his room, he changed into some jeans, a grey t-shirt, and draped a baby pink sweater cardigan over his shoulders. He slipped into his favorite brown boots and grabbed his satchel. He stuffed his wallet and phone into it and grabbed his keys. Lance walked outside and took a breath of air.  _Yep,_ he confirmed,  _it is humid._  He almost turned back, but decided to keep walking, arms crossed comfortably. He watched the faces of the people around him. Taking mental notes of their expressions and actions: a mother walking with her child, a man in a business suit carrying a brief case. A wave of sonder hit Lance, and he continued walking.

He finally reached the park and walked slowly, taking in all of the surroundings. A cat meowed at him from his right and he stopped to notice it. Lance opened his bag and searched. He found a piece of beef jerky and knelt down to hand it to the cat. She took it thankfully, munching on it while letting Lance pet her. After finishing it, she rubbed her head into his hand and arched her back. Lance stood up and walked toward the other side of the park. There was a bakery there and he wanted to get a couple red bean buns.

When Lance got back home, it was already 3:00, so he made another mug of tea and sat at the table, enjoying a bun and reading a book.

After a while of reading, the sound of the doorbell made him jump. He check his phone for the time. 5:15. He sighed and marked his spot with the front cover. The doorbell rang again as he was walking. "Coming!" he shouted.

He opened the door to find the last person he wanted to see: Keith. He was holding a couple bags of takeout.

Keith held them up for emphasis, "They got my order wrong."


	3. Sweet Pea

Keith smiled sweetly, "Wanna share?"

Lance wore an unamused expression, "You did that on pur-" he stopped. He opened the door wide, allowing Keith to enter.

"Ah, thank you! So kind."

Lance rolled his eyes, "Set those on the coffee table and make yourself at home. Would you like a drink?"

Keith did as he was told, "Do you have any soda?"

"A couple cokes."

"That would be great," Keith said as he unpacked the bags.

Lance returned to the kitchen and prepared a cup of tea for himself and a glass with ice in it and a coke for Keith. He stopped by the bathroom before returning to the living room.

Setting the drinks onto coasters, he asked, "What is it?"

"What?"

"The food."

"Oh, Chinese."

Lance chuckled slightly, "Good. I love Chinese." He grabbed the remote and turned on the tv, then handed it to Keith.

Keith looked confused, "Is that for me?"

"Obviously." Keith took it and Lance sat down on the couch, "I never watch tv, so pick something good."

Keith handed Lance one of the takeout boxes, "If you don't watch tv, what  _do_ you do?"

Lance took a bite, "Read."

"You're one of those bookworms?"

Lance thought for a moment, "I guess you could say that."

Keith smiled, "So, are you in college? Got a job?"

Lance shook his head, "No to both. Well, sometimes my aunt lets me help at her cafe."

"Oh."

"What about you?"

"I'm in college."

"What for?" Lance took another bite, getting interested in the conversation.

"Art major."

"Oh, you're one of those art nerds? Or are you a nude drawing type of guy?"

Keith laughed, "I prefer the umbrella term of 'artist.'"

The two laughed, then took a couple bites of the food. Lance watched as Keith's eyes went to the tv. He glanced at the show, but wasn't interested.

He turned back to Keith, "What is this?"

Keith smiled, "What do you mean?"

"The show," Lance nudged his hand toward the screen, "What is even going on?"

"Well, my friend, that guy is a terrorist, and those guys are trying to kill him."

"Sounds awful."

Keith snickered, "Difference in taste."

Lance smiled, then quickly set his food down, "I will be right back." Lance went to the bathroom, washed up and took some medicine. He returned to the living room and picked up some of the empty containers and trash to throw away. Then, he sat on the couch, knees up and back leaning against the armrest to face Keith. Keith finished his food and returned the empty container to the bag, cleaning up after himself. He took a drink of his coke.

Lance stared at him intently as he watched the tv. Slowly, he inched his foot into Keith's thigh, nudging him. Keith noticed and looked up at Lance questioningly. Lance raised his foot to brush the bottom of his abdomen, keeping his eyes locked on Keith.

Keith hadn't reacted, so Lance asked, "You don't wanna?"

Keith stared at Lance, obviously trying to hold himself back, "Is that your signal?"

Lance nodded, "Yeah. That's the signal."

Keith and Lance leaned together, kissing. Keith picked up the boy by his waist and pulled him on his lap. Their tongues intertwined and Keith's hands rubbed under Lance's shirt. Lance pulled away for a second to rip off his cardigan and t-shirt, then quickly found Keith's mouth again.

Keith kicked off his shoes and picked Lance up, letting his legs wrap around his waist. He broke the kiss off for a second, "Where's the bedroom?"

"Through the kitchen, down the hall," Lance responded through gasps.

Keith threw Lance onto the bed and got on top of him, kissing his neck. Lance's fingers tugged at Keith's shirt. Keith pulled back to yank off his shirt and throw it on the ground. When he returned, he brought his mouth to Lance's nipple. Lance brought a hand up to his mouth in an attempt to stifle the moans. Keith noticed and went back to kiss him.

"Do you have any lube and condoms?," Keith asked.

Lance pointed to his nightstand, "Bottom drawer."

Lance reached down to unbuckle Keith's belt and jeans, and Keith pried them off. He also undid his own and let Keith tug them off.

Keith retrieved the lube from the nightstand and poured some on his fingers. He spread it around Lance's ass as he licked his nipples. Lance arched his back and let out moans as Keith inserted a finger. After a while, he put in another. Lance pulled his head up to kiss him deeply, sticking his tongue in his mouth. Keith put in one more finger and licked Lance's chin.

"That's enough," Lance gasped.

"You sure?"

"Yes, now come on," he moaned, grabbing a condom and ripping it open.

Keith accepted and pulled his fingers out. Lance pushed on his chest and sat up. He set the condom gently in his teeth and lowered down to Keith's dick. He took as much as he could in his mouth, then used his hand for the rest. He coughed a couple times, but forced himself to stop.

Keith lifted him up by his waist and let Lance guide him in. Lance cried out as he entered, and Keith held out for a moment, letting Lance get used to it. Soon, Lance started to bounce, and Keith returned the rhythm. Moans and wet sounds bounced off the walls; until after a while, they stopped; and the two boys panted to catch their breaths.

They kissed a couple times, and then Keith pulled out. The two lied on the bed for a moment. Then, Lance got up and headed to the bathroom. Lance washed his makeup off and cleaned up, then returned to a sleeping Keith. He climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up to his chin. Taking a deep breath, he let himself drift off to sleep.


	4. Rhododendron

Lance woke up with a cough brewing in his throat. He quickly jumped up and rushed to the bathroom. When he was finished, he headed into the kitchen to make some tea. On the way as he threw on the first thing he saw, he noticed a sleeping Keith in his bed, and the memories of last night came back. Rolling his eyes, and scolding himself, he made coffee as well.

A groggy Keith wandered into the kitchen, and Lance greeted him, "Coffee is made, there's sugar in the cabinet and creamer in the fridge."

"Good morning to you, too," Keith said, sleep in his voice.

Keith prepared his cup, and looked over to Lance. He was sitting at the dining table, one leg up with tea and book in hand.

Keith sipped his coffee, "You drink a lot of tea."

"Tea is good for you," Lance answered in a monotone voice, not taking his eyes off the book.

Keith stared for a second longer, then spoke up, "Hey, you know, about-"

"You can leave whenever," Lance interrupted.

Keith took a deep breath and set down his mug on the counter, "I'll get out of your hair."

Lance listened to Keith get dressed and gather his things, forcing himself to keep his eyes reading. After he was ready, he walked back through the kitchen, "I'll see you."

Lance replied with a half-hearted wave, eyes remaining on the pages. After the door shut behind Keith, Lance let out a cough. In his fit, he reached for his handkerchief that lied on the table, coughing pale pink into it. Lance clutched it in his hand as he walked to the bathroom for a shower.

Taking a shower, pampering his skin, and drinking a cup of tea was an excellent pick-me-up for Lance. After getting dressed, he decided it was time to clean. He pulled the sheets from his bed to wash them, and threw away all the leftover food. Lance noticed that he hadn't opened his fortune cookie. He couldn't locate another one, so Keith must have opened his. Lance almost threw it away, but decided to open it.

While ripping open the wrapper, he laughed at himself, "This is stupid." He broke open the cookie and unwrapped the paper.  _Your deepest wish will come true._  Lance scoffed, "Yeah, fuckin' right." He crumpled the paper and threw it in the trash.

After cleaning up the house, Lance decided it was time for a meal. He wanted to go out, but didn't want to run into Keith, so that wasn't an option. Lance didn't necessarily like to cook, so he didn't want to make anything. In the end, he decided on a red bean bun and a glass of milk. Lance hadn't been eating very much since he moved to the city, so he had gotten a lot thinner. The clothes that he had seemed to always hang off his shoulders and he had to buy new jeans, since the others were too big. It worried Lance a little bit, but the doctor said that it was common for dramatic weight loss to happen.

After finishing his "meal," Lance took out his planner. He checked his schedule for the week. He talked himself through it, "Okay, doctor appointment tomorrow..." He thought for a moment, then wrote in something else, "Visit aunt Julia after appointment..." Lance sat back in his chair, tapping his pen on his chin, "Nothing today..." He clicked his tongue a few times, thinking. "What to do..." He checked the time: 1:42. He took a defeated breath and shut the planner, clipping the pen to the front cover. Lance pushed the book to the side and pulled out his phone, bringing his left foot back up to the chair to rest his chin on his knee. He went onto Instagram, scrolling through photos of people he left behind. He didn't like doing this, but he needed to see how he was doing. One picture caught his attention: a boy was taking a selfie while sitting on a surfboard, holding up a peace sign; behind him, you could see a girl bent over on her own board, laughing. Lance checked the caption:  _having lots of fun in Hawaii together!!_ He coughed a few times and exited the app.

He grabbed his headphones and plugged them in, finding his favorite Pandora station. A calming, but upbeat song came on and Lance stood up, sliding around in his socks. He spun and slid over to his bookshelf, browsing the titles. He picked one, pulling it out and spinning as he opened it. He bobbed his head and dance-stepped around his living room as he read. He made his way over to the couch, picking up his blanket and twirling to wrap it around himself with one hand, then plopped down on the couch.

A love song came on the radio and caused Lance's mind to race. Memories of a boy whose smile is warm and loving. A boy with a talent so good, he seemed to control the water beneath his feet. Lance forced himself to stop thinking about him, shaking his head. Instead, the memories of last night played back in Lance's head.

He pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging them.  _What the fuck am I doing?_


	5. Savory

Lance did his usual routine: shower, skin care, cup of tea and yoga, get dressed. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door, turning to lock it.

"Hey Lance!"

"Oh fuck," Lance whispered to himself. He turned to Keith and stuffed his keys in his bag, "Good Morning." He walked into the elevator, Keith following.

Lance watched Keith from the corner of his eye. He had his hands in his pockets and was tapping his foot happily. Lance almost gagged out of annoyance; but crossed his arms instead.

"So," Keith rubbed the back of his neck, "What are you doing tonight?"

"I'm busy today," he kept his eyes foreword.

"I see..."

Lance sighed with relief when the elevator doors opened, and quickly walked out.

"See ya!"

Lance ignored him and continued walking. After walking to the hospital for his appointment, he headed to his aunt's cafe.

The bell jingled as he walked in; there were people at tables and waiters taking orders. Lance sat at the bar, and a waitress greeted him, "Good Afternoon, Lance! Should I get Julia?"

He swung his bag onto the bar, "Yes, that would be great."

She walked into the back and Lance waited, resting his head on his elbow. Soon, a bigger woman with tan skin and curly black hair came out.

"Lance! What a pleasure!"

"Hello aunt Julia," Lance smiled at her, "I just wanted to visit my favorite aunt! I was in town already."

"For a doctor's appointment?"

"Ah," Lance scratched his head, "you caught me."

"I know you well! Known you all your life." She rested her arms on the bar, "Did it go well?"

"Everything's the same."

"So what's got you down?"

Lance audibly sighed and crossed his arms on the bar, hiding his face, "Oh aunt Julia."

"Come on, spill!"

Lance tilted his head to the right to show the left side of his face, "I did something stupid."

Julia brought her face down to his level, "What did you do?"

He took a breath, "I slept with my neighbor."

"Oooo~" she chuckled, "scandalous!"

"It's not funny," Lance said, trying to hide his smile. "Now he's being nice and trying to take me out! Plus, I can't escape him, because he lives next door."

Julia laughed, "Oh Lance!"

"Stop laughing!" Lance whined.

"Maybe it's a good thing?"

Lance's smile dropped, "I'm not interested." He leaned on his arms, "Can I have some tea?"

"Of course, darling." Julia turned and prepared a cup, then slid it in front of Lance.

"Thank you," Lance opened the tea bag and dipped it in the water, "I mean, it just won't work. I don't want to be with anyone."

Julia fiddled with her hands and locked eyes with Lance, "Lance, you've gotten this far, don't you think it's a long time until then?"

"What if it's tomorrow?" He took a few sips of the tea, "I don't want to hurt anyone that way."

She smiled at him, "I understand, sweetie." She rubbed his arm, "Enjoy yourself these days, alright?"

Lance smiled at her, "I will!" He took another sip, "Do you mind if I eat here?"

"Not at all," she pulled out a notepad from the bar, "What would you like?"

"Hmm..." he thought for a moment, "Cheddar broccoli soup."

She wrote it down and sent it to the kitchen with a waiter. She turned back to Lance to continue talking. The two talked about family and the cold weather. When Lance received his soup, he sipped on that while Julia told him stories from the cafe.

After a few hours, Lance decided it was time to go. As he walked out he waved, "Bye!"

Lance got home late, walking in and falling onto the couch. He fell asleep soon after.

Lance woke up to the sound of the doorbell. He sat up groggily and checked the time on his phone: 9:00 pm. He coughed a couple times and went to answer the door. As he opened the door, he found a nicely dressed Keith. He stared at him for a moment, then started to close the door.

"Wait!" Keith quickly grabbed the door.

Lance tilted his head in annoyance and leaned against the door frame, arms crossed. "What do you want?"

"Okay hear me out," Keith paused to look at Lance, who nodded, then continued, "Alright, get dressed, come with me, ride a motorcycle into the city; it's really pretty at night."

Lance kept an unamused expression, "No." he tried to close the door again, but Keith grabbed it. 

"Wait! Please?"

Lance checked the time on his phone out of habit, crossed his arms, and sighed audibly. "Fine, I'll come with you. Stay there and give me two minutes."

After getting ready, Keith led Lance down to the street. Parked there was a red sports bike. Lance was impressed, "That's a nice ride."

"You think," Keith asked happily, handing him a helmet.

Lance took it and put it on. Keith swung his leg onto the bike, and patted the seat behind him, "Climb on."

Lance swung his leg over to sit behind Keith, wrapping his arms around his waist.

Keith started up the bike, "Hold on tight!" He yelled through his helmet.

Keith pulled out and took off on the road. Lance stuck to Keith as he raced down the streets. Lance looked around at the city. He rarely went out in the night, so he wasn't aware of how pretty the buildings looked. There were lights on every office, cafe, and mall. They seemed to compete with each other, seeing who could be the brightest. Lance noticed that Keith was going way over the speed limit and yelled to him, "Aren't you going too fast?!"

"More like  _not fast enough_!" He sped up, weaving in and out of traffic.

The cold wind pierced through Lance's clothes and his jacket flapped behind him. The rush of going ninety miles an hour got to Lance and he laughed happily. Suddenly, a flash of red and blue beeped at them. Lance's heart jumped, but Keith just sped up.  _He's going to outrun a cop?!_ Lance thought. He smiled and tugged at Keith's jacket, "Go faster!"

Keith revved the bike, speeding up. Lance turned around, seeing the cop car disappearing from view, the red and blue fading out. Keith took a right, then a sharp left, circling back. He returned to a normal speed when the apartments came into view; and pulled into the parking garage. He picked a spot in the back and parked, turning off his bike and taking off his helmet. Lance jumped off the bike, ripping off his helmet.

He laughed and jumped around, "That was amazing!"

Keith took the helmet from Lance, putting them back. "Had fun?"

"Yes!" Lance ran his fingers through his hair, "Do you outrun cops often?"

Keith laughed, "It happens sometimes."

The two boys laughed, gasping for air. They stared at each other for a moment, then Lance ran to him. Lance jumped on Keith, wrapping his legs around his waist. Keith caught him and they kissed. It was passionate and messy. Lance tugged at Keith's hair, pulling him closer. Keith stroked Lance's back and thigh, holding him up. Tongues locked and tapping teeth, they kissed in the cold, stale air of the parking garage.


	6. Dog Rose

Lance looked at the cute cakes through the glass. The bakery wasn't as busy as it usually was, so Lance stopped by.

"Could I get the strawberry one and the fig one?" He pointed to the cakes as he asked.

"Sure thing, Lance," the baker said with a smile. He turned around to box up the sweets.

"Hey Mike," Lance said, "make that two of the strawberry one."

Mike chuckled, "Of course!"

Lance paid and waved goodbye to the staff. He walked down the busy sidewalk holding the bag of treats. He hummed to himself, swaying as he took each step. He turned a corner and entered the bookstore.

"Linda!" Lance called as he wiped his shoes on the welcome mat, "I brought your cake!"

Linda skipped out from behind the counter, "Yay! Thanks Lance!"

He pulled a box out of the bag and handed it to her, "One fig cake."

Linda giggled happily, "You're the best! What's on  _your_ schedule for today?"

"Not much," Lance chuckled, "I was going to go to the park to enjoy my cake and feed the cat."

"Did you name it yet?"

"Of course not."

"What do you mean 'of course not?' You love that cat!"

"I do not," Lance smiled.

"Well, I have to get back to work. Thank you for the cake!"

"No problem!" Lance waved goodbye and headed to the park.

He found a bench and sat cross legged, setting the cake boxes next to him. He picked one up and opened the plastic fork package. Lance took a couple bites. "Delicious," he said with a smile. After finishing the cake, he heard a meow from under the park bench.

"Hi kitty~" Lance pulled out a can of cat food and opened it. He set it on the ground and the cat licked it happily. Lance moved from the bench to the ground, petting the top of her head as she ate. When she finished, Lance pulled out a water bottle and a small dish. He poured some water in for the cat, then took a sip from the bottle. This caused him to cough and he closed the bottle, returning it to his bag. Lance stood up to walk it off, slowly stepping a few feet away, then turning to come back. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and coughed pink into it.  _Damn it,_ he thought, and coughed a few more times.

Lance attempted to force the coughing to stop, but to no avail. He only managed to stop long enough to hear Keith from a distance away calling his name.

"Keith?" he said out of disbelief, looking up slightly. Then, his head jerked back down and he coughed harder into his hand. His throat tensed and he dropped to his knees. Through the gasping, he heard footsteps running up to him.

"Lance! Are you okay?!" Keith dropped to his side and put his hand on his shoulder.

Lance couldn't answer him, and a mixture of pink and red spilled from his hand. Lance looked at him and choked out, "Keith?"

Lance's vision blurred and he fell to the right, away from Keith and barely conscious. Blood leaked from his mouth, filling the tiny cracks in the concrete as he heaved.

"Lance!" Keith scrambled for a moment, then picked up the limp boy. "Stay with me, alright!"

Lance felt Keith run for a while, then he was put into the back seat of a car. Through half-opened eyes, he watched Keith fumble with his keys and start the car, driving frantically. He noticed that there was blood on Keith's hands, which spread to the steering wheel. Then, he realized that it came from his own hands and mouth. He went black for a minute. When Lance came to, he was being picked up again, and Keith burst through the doors of a hospital.

"Someone help! Please!" Keith called out in a frantic, worried voice. Lance thought that he might have been on the verge of tears.

Lance heard different noises: people rushing to them and the paitents in the waiting room gasping at the scene. He was laid on a gurney and heard a nurse yell, "Call Dr. Martin! It's Lance!"

As Lance was pushed away, he watched a worried Keith stand in the entrance. He was covered in blood, and there was a pile splattered by his feet. Lance's chest convulsed again, and he coughed up pink and red over the white sheets and more pink and red fell to the floor. He tried to breathe, but it wouldn't work; it was just useless wheezing.

Lance recognized his doctor, Dr. Martin, running up to his side, "It's alright Lance! We're going to do our best!" He turned to a nurse, "Get me the-"

The voices faded out. Lance tried to hold on, but fell unconscious.


	7. Edelweiss

Lance slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the lighting. The first thing he felt was a heaviness on his chest and a sore throat. Every muscle in his body felt sore, like he had run a mile then drowned in a lake. He felt tubes in his mouth and slowly brought a hand up to his face. He felt around, his fingers hitting plastic. His lungs moved on their own, and Lance realized that he was on a ventilator. There were several tubes attached to his body, making sure he was alive and stayed alive.

His eyes finally adjusted to the light enough for him to look around the room. He was definitely in the hospital. The walls were white with a little wood to make it look professional and less like a prison. One wall was all glass, which meant he was in the ICU. He rolled his eyes in annoyance and looked at the ceiling.

The sound of the door opening made him jump, and he looked back. A girl in scrubs walked in. She flashed a smile and came up to his bedside, "Welcome back Lance."

He read her name tag: Mary. He looked back at her eyes.

"You're in the hospital. Do you remember anything about coming here? Blink once for yes and twice for no."

Lance hesitated for a second, then blinked once.

"Good." She wrote something down, "Right now, we've got you in the Intensive Care Unit. We are going to monitor your lungs to see if we can take you off the ventilator. I was told that you hated it."

Lance blinked once.

She chuckled, "Alright. I'm going to grab a nurse you're familiar with and have her check you over." The lady exited his room. Lance found her annoying, all of her perkiness was fake and she talked to him like he was five.

After getting checked and set up, Lance felt his strength return. It was amazing what being able to breathe did for him. He had the tv on with subtitles since he couldn't hear well over the various noises of machines and the hissing of the ventilator. Nurses came in periodically to suction it and make sure it was working properly, which Lance hated with a passion.

The door opened once more, and Lance rolled his eyes, tired of dealing with people adjusting and poking and prodding.

A familiar voice sounded, "Well, look at you!"

Lance looked at Dr. Martin with an unamused expression.

"You almost died on us," he rested his hand on the bed rail, "that wasn't funny."

Lance shrugged his shoulders to say  _Well, I'm still alive aren't I?_

"So with your disease, as you know, using a ventilator is a last resort. We think now that you're stable, it's best to just put you on oxygen. How does that sound?"

Lance smiled as much as he could and blinked once.

"Now your aunt Julia is waiting to see you, is it alright if she comes in?"

Lance blinked once.

"Good, good." Dr. Martin paused for a moment and Lance gave him a confused look. He took a breath, "Alright am I gonna get to hear the story of that boy in the waiting room?"

Lance tilted his head to ask  _Who are you talking about?_

"The boy that brought you in. He's been here all night waiting anxiously to see if you survived."

Lance squinted his eyes in thought and look around the floor, then he remembered. It was Keith. He turned his head to look around for a notepad.

"Do you need paper?" Dr. Martin asked.

Lance looked at him desperately and nodded his head. Dr. Martin pulled out his memo pad and a pen, handing them to Lance. He took them and scribbled out a note.  _Don't let him in._

"Is he dangerous?"

_No, just a guy I don't want to be involved with._

"Oh," Dr. Martin relaxed, "a potential lover."

_No. Never._

Dr. Martin smiled understandingly and let out a small chuckle, "I will go get your aunt."

Lance grabbed his sleeve and held up a finger telling him to wait. He wrote down  _Go home_ on one piece and ripped it off, folding it up.

 _Give this to Keith._ He handed Dr. Martin the folded up note.

"And, Who is that again?"

Lance rolled his eyes,  _The guy that brought me in._

"Gotcha. When I get back, we will go over legal stuff and then start weaning you off that ventilator."

Lance shot him a thumbs-up and he exited the room.

When aunt Julia came in, she had been crying and hugged Lance gently. After the reunion, Dr. Martin and a couple nurses came in and explained everything, and had Lance and aunt Julia sign some papers. Then, they started weaning him. After a trial run, they started the extubation. As they adjusted settings Lance squeezed aunt Julia's hand. She was the most nervous since this would be the first time seeing him being extubated. Lance had been through the routine a couple times before and was confident in it. This certainly wasn't the first time he had stayed in the ICU.

A nurse undid the adjustments around Lance's head and face, "Alright, I'm going to suction you one more time, then I will remove the tube."

Lance relaxed as much as possible through the process, but it was still extremely uncomfortable.

"Okay, now when I pull this out, I want you to cough."

Lance did as he was told and the tube came out. Lance continued to cough a couple times, and slivers of pink exited his lungs.

"Is he alright?!" aunt Julia asked frantically.

Dr. Martin was at Lance's side monitoring the whole time, "Yes, this is normal with his condition."

The coughing fit didn't last long and Lance quickly got used to breathing on his own. The hospital staff clapped and high-fived each other. The nurse from before slipped a nasal cannula over Lance's head, and he pulled his hand from aunt Julia's to guide it in. Lance took a deep breath and smiled.

Lance was moved to a regular room and spent five days in the hospital until his voice returned, and then was discharged. He thanked the hospital staff and waved them goodbye clutching a stuffed bear he received as a gift. He had to be on oxygen at home for a while, so he wore a nasal cannula and had the oxygen tank in a backpack. Aunt Julia opened the car door for Lance and he climbed in, then she went around and got in as well.

Lance set his things between his legs and yanked a mask out from his backpack, "Fucking hospitals."

"Hey!" She softened her voice, "language."

Lance rolled his eyes and put the mask on his face, twisting the straps to make Xs and snapping them around his ears. He pulled the front of the mask apart and adjusted the metal nose piece, "I fucking hate hospitals."

"You're alive, aren't you?"

Lance rubbed his forehead in annoyance. "Of course I am," he said sarcastically.

Aunt Julia dropped Lance off at his apartment. Once he reached his floor, he pulled out his keys and separated his house key from the others. As he unlocked his door, he heard a door next to him open and shut. "Oh my  _fucking god,_ " he said to himself.

He jumped at the sudden bang as Keith slammed his fist into the wall right next to him.

Lance pried his mask from his ears and balled it up in his fist, "What the  _fuck_  dude?!"

Keith pulled Lance into a tight hug, cradling his head in one hand. Lance let his hands stay limp in confusion.

"Are you okay?" Keith whispered in his ear.

Lance pulled away, "I'm fine, but tired." He shoved his door open and slammed it behind him, making sure to lock it.


	8. Yellow Carnation

For the next few days, Lance stayed at home. He ran to the grocery store, but people stared too much. One time, a kid pointed at him to show his friends, and Lance replied by sticking out his tongue at them. Any medical supplies or medicine was delivered to his house, so other than receiving packages, he didn't need to open the door.

Lance was reading a book, curled up on the couch when his doorbell rang. He checked the time on his phone: 3:13. He got up and picked up his oxygen tank backpack, carrying it in his hand. He opened the door to an expressionless Keith. He tried to close the door, but Keith grabbed it and forced his way in.

"Dude, seriously," Lance shut the door and turned to face him, "you have a bad habit of grabbing that damn door."

Keith paced a few steps, scratching his head in thought.

Lance was extremely annoyed with him, "Keith! What the fuck are you doing here? Get out."

Keith finally made eye contact with Lance, "Alright so I find you coughing up blood in a park, and I bring you to the hospital, but hear absolutely nothing about you."

Lance set his backpack down angrily, "That's none of your business." He crossed his arms.

Keith leaned into his face, "I  _carried you to the hospital_! I cleaned your blood from my clothes! Now, you're completely ignoring me! What the  _fuck_ man!"

"I never wanted to get involved with you!" Lance coughed a couple times from the force of yelling.

"You could have at least said 'thank you!'"

"Why do you even care?!"

"Anybody would if somebody almost  _died_!"

Lance's throat tightened, "I don't want to fight with you." He bent over slightly to cough a few more times. When he leaned back up, he found pink in his hand. He shot Keith an angry look, eyes tearing up from the pain, " _Go home."_

Keith stared in disbelief as Lance hacked up more blood.

Lance forced the coughing to stop for a second, "What are you doing?" He shoved his arm, " _Leave!"_

Keith put a hand on his back, "Are you alright?"

Lance's lungs continued expelling blood until he fell to his knees. Keith jumped down to him and tried to think of a way to help. Lance shoved him away, and threw up chunks of pink. The coughing subsided for a minute and Lance stayed on the ground, leaning over a pile of his own blood.

Keith gripped his shoulder, "Lance, what  _is_ wrongwith you?"

Tears fell off Lance's cheeks and mixed with the red and pink. Without making eye contact, he sniffled out, "I have Hanahaki Disease."

Keith stopped for a moment in surprise. Then he grabbed Lance's shoulders and shook him, "Why haven't you gotten the surgery?!"

Lance shoved Keith's hands off and coughed up more cherry blossoms and blood.

When he finished, Keith shoved his shoulder, "What is wrong with you?! Just get the surgery! It's got like a 93% success rate!"

"Well, I'm the 7%!" he screamed.

"What?" Keith asked in disbelief.

Lance wiped his mouth with his sleeve, "I  _did."_ He sniffled and sat back on his knees. Turning to Keith, he whimpered out, "but it didn't work."

Keith's eyes teared up as he stared at Lance's tear and blood-stained face.

"The flowers grew back. Now, they don't know what the fuck to do with me." He wiped his cheeks. "We are all just waiting until I die."

"How long do you have?" Keith choked out. A few tears fell down his face.

Lance smiled sadly, "I was supposed to be dead months ago."

Keith's face scrunched up as he let out a few sobs. He hid his face with his hands and looked down.

"What are  _you_ crying? You're lungs aren't trying to kill you," Lance chuckled, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Keith wiped his face, "Because I care about you, damn it." He stood up and went into the bathroom, returning with a towel. He knelt down and set it on the pile of blood and flowers. Lance watched him intently, hiccuping as he calmed down. Keith had wiped up as much as he could, then stood to retrieve another towel. He put a hand on Lance's cheek and wiped the blood and tears from his face. Then, he quickly dried his own.

Keith looked like he was going to clean Lance's hands, but he threw the towel to the side and wrapped his arms around Lance, "I'm sorry."

Lance kept his hands away to keep blood from getting on Keith's clothes.

Keith pulled back and put his hands on Lance's cheeks, and gently kissed his forehead. Then he hugged his head, "I will help you. I'll fix this."

Lance let out a sad breath, " _How_?" He hiccuped a few more sobs.

Keith kissed his hair, shushing him. "Don't worry. I'll fix you."


	9. Violet

Lance woke up with his head on Keith's lap. They had fallen asleep on the couch, Keith playing with Lance's hair. Lance slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. Keith was still sleeping, his head resting on the back of the couch.

Lance yawned and stood up. He readjusted his nasal cannula, but his nose was sore, so he yanked it off. He coughed a couple times, his throat was scratched and raw.

"Hey," Keith sounded from the couch, sleep in his voice. He stretched, then jumped up. He noticed Lance had torn off the oxygen tubes and he picked them up. "You have to wear this," he attempted to put it on Lance.

Keith couldn't figure out how it worked, so Lance took it from him and placed it back on his face. He pulled the oxygen bag with him when he moved. When Lance returned from washing his face, Keith was in the kitchen making pancakes.

He noticed Lance and nudged his shoulder to a mug on the counter, "I made you some tea. I helped myself to your kitchen, figured I would make you something to eat. You need your strength and you're like sixty pounds."

Lance smiled at him, "Thank you." He picked up the mug and took a sip. Then, he set it down and jumped up to sit on the counter, watching Keith cook.

Keith smiled back and flipped the pancake over. After finishing, he set down the spatula and stood in front of Lance. He rubbed his thighs, "How are you feeling?"

Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's neck, "Better than yesterday." He leaned down to kiss Keith, then rested their foreheads together. "You said you'd take care of me, right? Did you mean it?"

Keith smiled, "Of course I did."

"Even if I die on you?"

"I won't let that happen."

Lance took a breath, "Then you should grab a suitcase from your place."

They separated their foreheads and Keith picked up Lance to bring him back down to the floor, "Are you sure you'll accept me? That door has been closed in my face many times."

Lance chuckled, "It's open now. As long as you don't leave me."

Keith kissed Lance passionately, hands on his cheeks. "Can you come with me?"

Lance held one of his wrists gently, "Why?"

"I'm scared to leave you alone."

Lance smiled, "Let's go after breakfast."

Keith's apartment was a lot messier than Lance's. Art supplies was strewn about every surface, crushed energy drink cans lied on the living room floor, and clothes were piled on a chair at the dining table. To be fair, Lance didn't own many things anyway, so even if he tried to be messy, it wouldn't be anything near Keith's apartment. He pulled his oxygen tank along with him, being careful not to catch it on anything. As Keith gathered his things, Lance looked at his artwork on the walls. Every wall was covered in drawings and paintings. Lance's favorites included: a painting of a boy with a hand smearing blood on his face, a drawing of a child playing with two dolls, and a self-portrait of Keith sitting on the ground shirtless with his knees up and a hand running through his hair.

Keith returned to the entryway with a couple suitcases, "Alright, shall we go?"

Lance eyed the luggage, "You  _do_ know that your place is right next door, right?"

He laughed, "Well, yeah, but I don't want to leave unless I have to, and one bag is just art supplies and class materials."

Lance smiled, "Alright, let's go."

Keith held the door for Lance and then pulled his things along. They returned to Lance's apartment. "Do you want to go somewhere today? I will take you anywhere."

Lance thought about it, "I have a few places in mind."

"Let's take my car then," Keith said, rolling his suitcases into the bedroom, leaving his art supplies in the living room.

"Do we have to? We could walk."

Keith eyed Lance's oxygen bag, "I don't want you to use too much energy."

"Fine," Lance said, the two headed to the parking garage.

The first place Lance wanted to go was the bookstore. His plan was to show who he called his "friends" that he was still alive. The whole city must have heard about him already. Lance giggled happily as he entered the shop and called, "Linda! Look who's still alive!"

Linda skipped over to Lance and jumped into a hug, "Lance! I'm so glad you're okay!"

Lance let go of his bag to hug her back. When they broke apart, Linda noticed Keith and eyed him suspiciously. She leaned into Lance's ear, "Who's this?"

Lance chuckled, "This is Keith! He was the one who brought me to the hospital."

"He did?" Linda's smile dropped in disbelief.

"Yeah, he did."

Linda turned to Keith and hugged him. Keith held his hands up in confusion and looked to Lance, who just shrugged.

"Thank you for saving him," she said, then let go. "I'm Linda, Lance's friend."

"It's nice to meet you," Keith said, trying to smile.

"I guess I should leave you to your work now," Lance laughed, "I'm making my rounds."

Linda laughed and said goodbye, waving as they left the store.

The next place they went was the bakery to get Lance's favorite strawberry cake and say hello to Mike. After that, they brought the cat in the park a can of food and some water.

They returned to Keith's car and Lance sat in thought. Keith looked at him questioningly, "Where to next?"

Lance sighed and eyed Keith, "I want you to meet someone, but I'm not sure if I should."

"Is it someone important?"

"Important to me. You might have seen her at the hospital."

"Your mom?" Keith guessed.

Lance shook his head, "My aunt Julia. I think she would like to meet the one who saved her 'sons' life."

"Do you want to?"

Lance hesitated, "Might as well, I could die tomorrow."

Keith leaned over and rubbed his thigh, "Please don't talk like that. I told you that's not gonna happen."

"But it could."

Keith kissed Lance sweetly, "Where should I go?"

"It's a cafe downtown, next to the hospital."

"Alright."

Lance leaned against the window, watching all the people on the sidewalks. He was hesitant in Keith's promise. There was no way he could save him; he almost died two weeks ago.   
When the doctors told him the surgery didn't work, he was stunned. What was he supposed to do? They gave him a month, prescriptions, and a pamphlet of things to make his life less stressful. He was put on several medications and a breathing machine. The first time Lance almost died, his parents were hysterical. He was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and woke up in the ICU hooked up to a million different tubes and wires. He moved to the city to live out his days and die alone, but the end never came; and  _once again_  he came back from the verge of death. It was like god was playing a game with him. Maybe he thought it was funny.

Keith got Lance's attention and he directed him to aunt Julia's cafe. When they got there, Lance stood in front of the building, staring at the door. Keith stood behind him and took his hand, "Are you ready?"

Lance hesitated for a moment.  _Is this really alright?_

He turned to Keith and nodded, "Let's go."


	10. Red Tulip

The smell of food and the sound of voices hit Lance as he entered the cafe. They sat at the bar and Lance had a waitress fetch aunt Julia.

Lance turned to Keith, leaning on his elbow, "Now when she comes, she's gonna be excited."

"And why is that?" he smirked.

"Oh she's been waiting forever for me to find someone," Lance answered sarcastically.

"Oh really?" Keith inquired.

The two laughed and aunt Julia entered from the back. "Lance!"

"Aunt Julia," Lance smiled, "how are you?"

"How am I? I'm great! But what about you?"

"Perfect condition," Lance snickered. He looked to Keith, "Hey aunt Julia, there's someone I want you to meet."

She looked at the boy beside Lance questioningly.

Lance nodded, "This is Keith. He's the one that brought me to the hospital that day."

Julia brought her hand up to her mouth, "Oh my, thank you so much!"

"And-" Lance started, "he is also...kind of...my boyfriend."

Julia gasped, "Is this the neighbor?"

"You told her about me?" Keith teased.

Lance blushed, "Aunt Julia!"

She ignored Lance's whining and looked to Keith, "What's your name, sweetie?"

"I'm Keith."

"Well, you can call me Aunt Julia. My nephew is a handful, so you best be prepared."

Lance hit his palm on the bar, "Aunt Julia!"

She laughed at the embarrassed Lance, "Oh hun, I'm only teasing."

She turned back to Keith and took his hand, "But really, thank you for caring for my nephew. You saved his life, too. You definitely have my blessing."

Keith smiled at her, "It's a pleasure, ma'am."

By the time Lance and Keith left the cafe, it was dark out. Keith started up the car, "Let's head home now."

Lance put his hand on Keith's, "No, not yet. I wanna do something."

"What do you want to do?"

Lance smirked, "I wanna go dancing."

Keith took Lance to his favorite place and parked. Lance pulled off his nasal cannula.

"Wait, wait," Keith panicked, "You're supposed to wear that!"

"It's fine, it's just to help. How am I gonna dance with this thing?"

Keith hesitated, "Are you sure it's alright?"

Lance dropped his hands into his lap, "If something happens, then I will tell you and we can come right out to get it. Deal?"

"Alright, deal."

Lance quickly took his various medications and they headed inside. Keith was able to bring Lance straight in, and he kept an arm around the small boy as he clung to his chest.

Everyone seemed to know Keith and stared when they walked in. At first, Lance thought it was because of his oxygen tank, but then he remembered that he took it off. Music blasted through the speakers and Lance felt the bass in his chest. There was a crowd of people on the dance floor, strobe lights and lasers flashed from the ceiling and stage, and DJs jumped around the platform. Against the left wall, there was a bar with bartenders doing impressive tricks. Along every wall, there were booths to sit in when you wanted a break.

Keith brought them over to a booth and pulled Lance into his lap, wrapping an arm around his waist, "You can't drink with all that medicine, right?"

Lance nodded, "Unless you want me to have a seizure or something."

Keith chuckled and called over a server, "I'll have a rum and coke, then a virgin margarita for my boy here."

The server nodded, "Sure thing, Keith."

Lance had his legs to the outside of the booth, swinging them over the edge; one arm around Keith's neck, and the other played with his jacket and rubbed his chest. "Sounds like someone is a regular."

"I was introduced to this place by one of my art friends. His uncle owns the place and he got me a black card."

"What's that?"

"It pretty much means I can do whatever I want."

Lance giggled, "So you're a big deal."

Keith smirked and squeezed Lance's waist, "You could say that."

They received their drinks and happily drank for a while, making out and laughing in the booth. After finishing his third virgin drink, Lance stood up and pulled Keith's arm, "Come on, let's dance!"

"Will you be alright without your oxygen?"

Lance planted his fists on his waist, "Hey, we had a deal."

Keith rolled his eyes and allowed Lance to tug his arm all the way to the dance floor. Lance was surprisingly good at dancing, twisting his hips like a pro. Keith spun him around and ran his hands down his waist.   
Lance was hyper from the drink and drunk off the lights. Lance swung his hips and drug his hands over Keith's chest. Cardi B blasted through the speakers, triggering Lance's sassy attitude. Keith was obviously getting turned on and Lance used that to his advantage. He took a step to the right, taking Keith's left hand in his own and turning around, grinding his ass into Keith. He brought his arm behind his shoulder to reach Keith's cheek and pulled his face to Lance's, their lips barely brushing.   
Keith brought his hands to Lance's hips and dug his fingers in, guiding as Lance whipped his waist around. Keith leaned into him and licked his neck. Lance moaned and tugged at Keith's hair.

Lance felt his body swing around as Keith yanked his hips to face him. Lance pulled his neck to him, kissing him passionately. Keith squeezed Lance's ass, grinding his hips on him.

Lance pulled away for a breath. "Are you drunk right now?" he yelled over the music.

Keith responded with a deep kiss, slipping his tongue into Lance's mouth. After a second, he pulled away and took Lance's hand, leading him off the dance floor.

"Where are we going?" Lance called.

"My car."

Keith exited the building and tugged his keys out of his pocket to unlock his car. He yanked the door open and grabbed Lance.

Lance giggled playfully and pulled Keith on top of him in the driver seat of his car. Lance leaned the seat back as far as it could go; and Keith pulled the door closed behind them. As soon as the door shut, Lance yanked Keith's head down into a messy kiss. Their tongues intertwined and Keith roughly tugged off Lance's jeans.

Suddenly, Lance realized that they are in Keith's car in the parking lot of a club full of people. "Is this okay to do?" he gasped out.

"It's fine," Keith took Lance's dick into his hand, "I'm black-carded."

Keith wrapped his mouth around Lance's dick, causing Lance to cry out. He held a hand to his mouth and another tangled in Keith's hair. Lance's moans bounced off the walls of the car, which made him a little self-conscious. Keith pulled off him and Lance relaxed for a moment. He looked down to Keith, who was spreading lube onto his fingers.

Lance's face was red, "Where did you get that?"

"Does it matter?" He tossed the bottle to the passenger seat.

Lance was both surprised and turned on by the attitude of drunk Keith. He was forceful and controlling. Extremely sexy.  _A little kinky,_  Lance thought.

Keith inserted a finger into Lance's ass, bringing him out of his thoughts. Lance grabbed onto Keith's shoulder, digging his nails into the muscle. Keith pulled Lance's right leg onto the other shoulder, then put in another finger. Lance brought his hand to Keith's hair, grabbing it to get his attention. Keith looked at him questioningly.

Lance arched his back, "Come on, I'm fine."

Keith pulled his fingers out and leaned up to unbuckle his pants, but hit his head on the roof of the car. Lance laughed at his silly reaction and Keith smiled out of embarrassment.

Lance pulled his head down to kiss him, "Forget it, come on."

Keith held Lance's legs and entered slowly. Lance tugged at his hair and moaned loudly. Keith soon found rhythm, the car jerking as he thrusted. Keith let go of Lance's legs and grabbed onto the leather next to his head. Lance wrapped his legs around Keith's waist, locking his ankles. Lance cried out and dug his nails into Keith's back, dragging them down. Keith gritted his teeth at the pain and thrusted harder. Every hit caused Lance to moan louder and louder; and at this point he didn't care if anyone heard them, which he was positive they did.   
Lance yanked on Keith's hair as he came, probably pulling most of it out of his head. Keith dug his head into Lance's neck and followed him.

They gasped, catching their breaths. Lance's throat suddenly tensed and he coughed, struggling to breathe. Keith quickly raised his head and grabbed Lance's nasal cannula, handing it to him. He took it and put it on as Keith pulled out, moved to the passenger seat, and tilted the seat all the way back.

Lance looked at Keith and laughed in amazement,

" _Damn."_


	11. Purple Hyacinth

"Tilt your head to the left a little," Keith asked, motioning with the pencil in his hand.

Lance did as he was told, "Like this?"

"Yeah perfect." Keith returned to his drawing, glancing at Lance periodically.

Lance was sitting on his knees on the bed, hands behind his head. He wore a grey bathrobe, which draped off his shoulders. Keith sat in a chair across the room, sketching on his drawing pad. Lance had offered to model for his art project, which Keith happily accepted.

"This position is hard to hold," Lance stayed as still as possible, "I might need a break."

"Just a sec," Keith quickly sketched something, then set his pencil down. "Alright, you can relax."

Lance dropped his arms and pushed out a breath. He jumped down from the bed and slipped his clothes back on, then returned his cannula to his nose.

"We can finish it later," Keith set his supplies next to him on the floor, "Come here." He patted his lap.

Lance smirked and walked over to him, dragging his bag with him. Keith pulled his hips into his lap, legs by his sides in a straddle position. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Mm-hmm," Lance nodded and kissed his forehead. Keith's hair smelled of pencils and pine trees.

Keith brought his hand up to Lance's cheek, just grazing over his skin. He smiled sweetly and gazed into Lance's eyes, "I love you."

Lance's face flashed with confusion and surprise, and he held his tongue. He wasn't sure how to respond, and felt stupid that he didn't answer.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and made Lance jump. "Um-I will, I'll be right back." He untangled himself from Keith and stood up, smoothing his clothes.

He walked through the kitchen, "Coming!" When he got to the door, he opened it and his face immediately dropped.

A sandy blond man with a neck tattoo stood with his hand in his pocket. He had on a black jacket with a white shirt, and a shark tooth necklace swayed loosely across his chest. He was an inch shorter than Lance; thin, but bigger than him. His lips were full and his jawline was sharp and clean. With classy eyes and a wide smile, he greeted the speechless Lance. "Lance! How have you been?"

"Jace?" Lance breathed out, unable to form enough words to communicate.

"Yeah, man! I haven't seen you in forever! Can I come in?"

"Um," Lance hesitated.

"Hey," Keith said in a stern voice, walking up behind Lance.

"What's up man?" Jace said cheerfully and entered Lance's apartment.

Lance panicked, not knowing how to react, and shut the door.

"Who are  _you_?" Keith crossed his arms and puffed his chest.

"Ah, my name's Jace. What about you, bro?"

"I'm Keith."

Lance finally got the courage to speak and turned to Keith, "This is a friend from my old town, we knew each other before I moved."

Keith eyed Jace, looking down on him, "What are you here for?"

Jace showed no reaction to Keith's stand-off-ish attitude, "I wanted to visit an old friend!" He playfully punched Lance's shoulder, "We haven't seen each other in forever, man!"

Lance laughed nervously, shooting a desperate look at Keith.

Jace wrapped a finger around Lance's cannula tube on his chest and lifted it up, "Yo, what's up with this? You got cancer or something?"

Keith shoved Jace's hand off his boyfriend and took a step between them, "That's none of your business."

Jace held his hands up in defense, "Whoa, why so touchy?"

""I think you should leave now," Keith said in an abrasive tone.

Jace laughed, "Alright, tell you what," he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Lance, "Call me and we'll meet up sometime."

Keith grabbed his shoulder and led him out. Jace waved and said goodbye to Lance as Keith shut the door in his face. Keith turned and quickly walked over to the shaken Lance and embraced him.

"Who was that?" Keith asked in his ear.

Lance couldn't answer, and felt his stomach turn. He pushed Keith away to cough up a cherry blossom.

Keith yanked a towel off the counter and cupped Lance's bloody hand with it, "Who  _was_ that?"

Lance lifted his eyes to Keith's, "That was the guy that caused my disease."

Keith stared at him, stunned. Lance took the towel from him and wiped his hands, and yanking off his cannula.

Keith stepped back and paced in a circle. "I'll fucking kill him," he choked out aggressively.

Lance threw the towel on the counter and ran over to Keith, hugging his arm.

Keith stared at Lance with murder in his eyes, "Give me that number."

Lance shut his eyes hard and buried his head into Keith's chest, "No, you can't! Please! Let me take care of it," he whined.

"Lance did you see how that douchebag treated you?!" Keith tried to pry Lance from his body.

Lance took chunks of Keith's shirt into his fists, "No! He's not always like that!"

"Are you defending him right now? You were  _terrified_!" Keith yelled.

"Please let me take care of it! I will tell him to never see me again! He won't be back here! Ever!  _Please_ ," Lance pleaded, sobbing into Keith's chest.

Keith took a breath to calm down, then wrapped his arms around the small boy and softened his voice, "Alright, okay, don't cry." He patted his head and kissed it sweetly, "I will let you take care of it, okay? I trust you."

_~_

Lance shook his leg as he waited in the coffee shop. He was sitting at a table for two away from the other customers. He checked his phone a couple times out of nervousness and looked around. Baristas frantically made drinks and took orders, students sat at tables covered in books, and a group of girls took a selfie with their drinks. Outside was sunny, a terrible day in Lance's opinion. It was cold though, which made it better.

A perky voice sounded from behind Lance, "Hey bro!"

Lance turned to find Jace waving and strutting over to him. Lance stood up to meet him, "Hello Jace."

Jace chuckled, "Great to see you, man! You wanna go grab a bite?"

Lance pulled his sleeves over his hands, "No, thank you. I just wanted to talk, like I said over the phone."

Jace's smile glowed, lighting up the room with his presence. He ran a hand through his golden hair, "Then, you wanna go to my car? I'll take you home after." He eyed Lance's oxygen tank bag.

Lance nodded, "Yeah, maybe."

They exited the cafe and headed to Jace's car. He owned a purple and black Ferrari, unlike Keith's red Mustang. He had parked in the back, away from the others. Lance assumed it was because it was such a nice car, so he didn't want it scratched. Jace ran over and opened the door for Lance, who climbed in. Jace got in and started up the car and the stereo blasted Cardi B, making Lance jump at the noise.

Jace quickly turned it down, "Is she still your favorite?"

Lance clutched his bag, "Yes, anyway-"

Lance was cut off as Jace turned the music back up, louder than it was. Lance was sure everyone within a five mile radius could hear it. Jace pulled out of the parking lot and raced down the street. Lance was extremely uncomfortable and clutched his bag. His heart pounded both in fear and excitement. The car was loud and people stared at them as they passed by.   
Lance pulled out his handkerchief to cough into it, small petals falling in. He clutched it in his fist as Jace weaved in and out of traffic, drifting around corners. Lance stared at his feet and focused on his breathing until he felt the car stop. When he looked up, the car was parked in a lot that overlooked the city. It was light out, so it wasn't as pretty as it was with Keith.

"How's that?" Jace flashed a cocky smile, turning down the radio.

"It's nice," Lance didn't make eye contact.

They sat in silence and Lance could feel Jace's eyes observing him intently. After a few moments of feeling like an animal in a cage, Jace grabbed Lance's cheek and pulled him into a kiss.

Lance was stunned, frozen in surprise. Jace pulled back and stared into his eyes, and Lance couldn't resist. Jace grabbed Lance's bag and yanked off his nasal cannula, throwing them onto the floor.

"Wait! I need tha-" Lance was cut off as Jace brought their mouths together again. Jace smelled of Ralph Lauren and Lance could feel his muscles as he grabbed onto his arms. Jace's body was hot and he cradled Lance's head as they kissed. Lance wrapped an arm around his neck. Jace stuck his tongue in Lance's mouth, kissing deeply. Jace pulled away and pushed one hand under Lance's shirt and the other squeezed his ass.

Lance pushed Jace's arms away, "Stop! You have a girlfriend."

"So?"

Jace leaned back down to kiss Lance again, but Lance pushed his cheek away, "I don't want to!"

"Don't want to?" Jace slammed his palms onto the leather next to Lance's head, "You've wanted me to fuck you since senior year."

Lance shot him an infuriated look and shoved his chest, " _Get off_!"

Jace grabbed Lance's wrists hard and held him down, "What? Is it that boy in your apartment? You fuckin' him now?"

Lance whimpered at the pain in his arms, trying to pull them out of Jace's grasp.

"You trying to escape? I told you I'd sleep with you!" Jace gasped as he thought, "Wanna run away with me?"

Lance spat in Jace's smug face. Jace let go of his wrists to wipe his eyes, then slapped Lance hard.

"Do it again! I dare you!" Jace screamed in Lance's face.

Lance held his burning cheek and yanked his knee up to hit Jace's abdomen. He flinched at the hit, the rebellious action made him even more angry. He raised his arm and struck Lance again and again, and slammed his back into the seat.

 _I can't escape!_ Lance panicked, trying to think of what to do.

Jace pushed the door open angrily and stood up, dragging Lance out with him by the leg. Lance hit his head on the car as he was pulled out. Gravel scraped and cut up his back and he tried kicking Jace's hand off. Jace dropped his leg and grabbed his hair, pulling him off the ground forcefully. Lance screamed as he was led by his hair, stumbling over his own feet. He was suddenly pushed back and his body was pierced by thorns as he fell into a thorn bush. Tears fell down his cheeks and his vision was blurry from being unable to breathe well.

Jace yanked Lance's arm up and threw him back onto the gravel, "Once a whore always a whore I guess."

Lance heard Jace's shoes crunch in the gravel as he stomped back to his car and drove off, the sound of the engine faded into the distance. Lance was without his oxygen and coughed up blood and flowers. He gathered all of his strength and his body screamed as he got up on his hands and knees to look around for his phone. He crawled pitifully and ran his hands over the ground, searching. His chest convulsed and he threw up a pile of cherry blossoms and blood. He continued to crawl foreword. He coughed up more blood, feeling his throat tear with each petal. He lifted his head and saw his phone in front of him. He reached and grabbed it with all his strength. When his hands wrapped around it, he pulled it to his chest and let his body fall to the ground. He wheezed and coughed, sweat covering his body even though it was cold outside.

He brought his phone up to his face. The screen was cracked and Lance saw his pitiful blood and tear-stained face in the screen. He tapped the home button.

Nothing happened.

He pushed down on the power button to turn it on, then threw up again. He turned back to the screen and tapped it with his finger. It stayed black. He frantically pushed all the buttons on it, but nothing happened.

Lance let out heartbroken sobs and dropped the broken phone. He held his chest and regurgitated pink and red.

Tears fell onto the cold, unforgiving gravel.  _I'm going to die._


	12. Honeysuckle

All the pain Lance felt disappeared; and everything was black. He opened his eyes to see his body was floating in nothingness. He couldn't see anybody or anything around him or underneath him. He heard everything as if he was underwater, only aware of his own presence. After a few seconds, he realized that he couldn't hear his heartbeat, so he focused on his chest. He wasn't breathing either. More like, he didn't  _need_ to breathe. He reached his arm out to the side in an attempt to feel anything, but there really wasn't anything there. He thought that he probably should have been frightened in this situation, but he was at complete peace. Maybe it was a side effect from not having to pump blood or breathe. Maybe it was a side effect of dying. Was this how dying felt? Was this all that was left? No tunnel of light? No light at  _all_? Just forever floating in a void of a color darker than black?

 _Maybe I should just let go._ The thought crossed his mind many times. Many nights, he would lie in bed praying that he would choke on his own blood and get it over with. That he would  _finally_ die. He had been brought back from the dead many times. From surgeries to medications to fucking  _yoga_ , Lance did it all. Why again? For his family? It definitely wasn't for himself. Or maybe it was. Maybe, somewhere inside him, he actually wished that he could magically be cured. He won't. It's not possible. The flowers may have already imbedded themselves into his lungs. That's probably what killed him.

Lance would have smiled if it was possible.  _This could be it. It's finally over._

He let his body float downward, and the welcoming void coaxed him into its arms. The comfort of it all was the most relaxing feeling.

Keith flashed into his mind. His dorky, bright smile. The way his hair curled differently depending on if he had it up or down. His warm embrace and strong arms that protected Lance from the cruel world. His face when he cried for Lance. The way he tried to hide it to keep Lance from thinking he was weak.

_Keith brought his hand up to Lance's cheek, just grazing over his skin. He smiled sweetly and gazed into Lance's eyes, "I love you."_

Why didn't he answer him? Why was it so hard to think of an answer? Why was it  _so hard_ when the answer was  _so obvious_?

No.

_I'm not dying today._

Lance's eyes shot open and he forced as much air into his lungs that he could, reopening every tear in his throat. The intensity of the pain he was in hit him in one big wave, causing him to curl up and clutch his chest. It took him a moment to realize that it was nighttime now.  _How long was I out?_  His heart hurt the most as it ached for Keith. He gathered all of the strength that he didn't have. Adrenaline was the only thing that kept him alive. He pushed onto his hands and knees, crawling to the edge of the road. He wasn't sure if this would even work. How busy was this road anyway? He had to stop to hack up pink and brown.  _Brown? That can't be good._

When he successfully dragged his body to the side of the road, he stopped and caught his breath. Was he supposed to just wait for a car to drive by? He could actually be dead by then. But with a smashed up phone and lungs locked in self-destruct mode, he didn't really have an option. There weren't any houses across the road or he would have opted for that route.

A few feet away was a fence. Lance dragged himself to it and used it to hurl himself into his feet. He knew that he would fall if he let go, so he leaned on it, splinters piercing the skin of his palms. He listened intently and desperately prayed for a car to reach him. All he heard was the sound of the wind blowing through the trees.  _Fuck. Come on!_

Finally, he noticed lights painting the branches of the trees. His heart filled with relief. He lifted one hand and waved it above his head, attempting to get the driver's attention. The lights shined brightly in Lance's face, then disappeared. Lance slowly dropped his arm to his side. Blood leaked from his smiling mouth,  _Is this really how I'm gonna die?_ He let go of the fence and let his legs give out from under him. Tears overflowed his eyes and spilled onto the gravel. He cried out in desperation, his voice breaking with grief. "Somebody help me!"

There was no answer. Of course there was no answer. He fell onto his back and looked up at the stars. They twinkled a lot more without the light pollution of the city. They disgusted Lance. Every star. Every. Single. One. All those wishes they held meant nothing. He hated that this would be the last thing he saw as he died.

Suddenly, they got harder to see. Lance turned his head to see two huge, bright lights in his face. 

"Lance!"

Lance thought that it was terrible that he would imagine such a thing in his last moments. That he would have to see Keith's broken face as he passed. But then he realized that it was real.

Keith dropped to Lance's side, blocking the lights. He picked up Lance's head and cried softly, "Please be okay."

"I'm in love with you." Lance's voice was low and airy.

Keith smiled down at him, "You crazy son of a bitch!"

Lance was picked up and put into Keith's car. It was warm, unlike his previous gravel deathbed. Keith let Lance hold his hand as he drove to the hospital. He could feel his skin, it was really Keith. His angel had saved him again.

Every few minutes, Lance would choke out, "I love you."

And Keith would answer with a warm voice, "I love you too."

When they reached the hospital, Lance was pulled into surgery. When he opened his eyes, Keith was sleeping with his head leaned on Lance's bed, holding his hand. He smiled at the cute scene and let himself fall back asleep as well. He wanted to enjoy this happiness for as long as he could.

After all, he can't just magically be cured.


	13. Heliotrope

Keith handed Lance a cup of tea, "Here you are."

Lance took it with a smile, "Thank you."

Lance sipped on the hot drink curled up on the couch in his living room. After spending a month in the hospital, he was discharged a week prior, and Keith made it his priority to care for him. He made all of his meals, brewed every cup of tea, and played with his hair until he fell asleep.

Keith almost walked away, but Lance grabbed his sleeve, "Wait. Sit next to me."

Keith leaned down to kiss his head, "Alright." He sat down and pulled the blanket onto his lap, sharing with Lance.

Lance leaned on his shoulder, "I love you."

Keith wrapped his arms around him, "I love you too." He pulled Lance's chin up the kiss him. "When is your doctor appointment?"

Lance's smile dropped, dreading the thought of going back to see the damage of his lungs, "Four days."

"I will come with you."

Lance pulled away from Keith, "You can't."

"Why not?"

He hung his head, "I don't want you to see my body like that."

"Lance, I promised to be here. I want to know how you are doing."

Lance raised his eyes, "But you have so much hope. You can easily say things like 'I will fix you,' and I don't want to lose that."

"Do you think that it's ridiculous?" Keith questioned.

"No..." Lance thought of the right way to put it, "more like: it isn't realistic. Hanahaki disease is fatal, especially when the surgery failed."

Keith wrapped his arms around Lance's shoulders, "You're still alive now. You've cheated death more times than anyone else. I think you'll be alright."

Lance could sense worry in Keith's tone, even if he was trying to sound hopeful. He couldn't imagine how he must feel knowing that Lance would die soon, probably right in front of him. Lance swallowed hard, holding back tears, "You can come, but you have to stay in the waiting room."

Keith pulled back and stroked Lance's cheek, "Alright."

The days that led up to the appointment were spent in bliss. They went to museums, ate Lance's favorite strawberry cake, and held each other through the night. Lance introduced Keith to the cat in the park, who took a liking to him. Keith decided that it should have a name. He named it Sprinkles. Linda had coffee with the two boys, telling stories of crazy customers. Aunt Julia paid for an expensive dinner date for Keith and Lance. They visited the club one more time and danced for hours. They attempted to bake a cake, which ended in a food fight. They even outran one more cop on Keith's sports bike. The days leading up to the appointment were spent as if they were Lance's  _last._ Because  _they were._

But the day had to come eventually. Lance and Keith sat in the waiting room in silence, holding each other's hands tightly. Lance kept as many tears in as he could, but a few slipped out. Keith even sniffled a few times, but played it off. The wait was agonizing. What was even  _more_ agonizing was the sound of Lance's name being called. He shot a desperate look at Keith, who quickly kissed him. Lance stood up and took small steps toward the smiling nurse. Their hands held on until they eventually broke apart, fingertips reaching for each other. All Lance could hear was his pounding heartbeat in his chest and ringing in his ears.

The nurse took him to a room and prepped him. The purpose of the appointment was to scan Lance's chest to see how many flowers had grown back since the surgery a month before; and whether or not they had threaded roots into his lungs. He was brought all over the hospital, having blood drawn or being put inside some machine. Lance was silent most of the time, emotionally numb.

Lance was fully prepared to die. He knew he was going to. He had come to terms with the fact that he wouldn't walk out of this hospital with good news. The only thing that worried him was how Keith would react. Would he hole up in his apartment, refusing to eat or sleep? Would he draw blood from his wrists on the bathroom floor or blow a bullet through his brain? The thought made Lance's heart mourn. There wasn't anything he could do about it.

After being dragged to test after test, Lance waited in a little chair in a square room for Dr. Martin. He tapped his foot and clutched the armrests. Each tick of the clock hurt Lance's ears. Finally, the door opened.

Dr. Martin walked in with a big envelope, which he tossed on the counter. He leaned up against it and crossed his arms. "Alright Lance."

Lance nodded, waiting for the bomb to drop, "How bad is it?"

Dr. Martin squinted at him in observance, "Okay, Who  _are_ you?"

Lance cocked his head to the side, "I'm sorry?"

Dr. Martin sighed, "Well, we took a look at all of your scans. I had several surgeons and doctors take a look. We all reached the same conclusion."

Lance swallowed hard, biting his lip.

Dr. Martin smirked, "There's nothing there."

Lance stared at him for a while in confusion, "What?"

He uncrossed his arms, "I  _mean,_  there's nothing wrong with your lungs. No flowers."

Lance stared at him dumbfounded, "I'm sorry, I think I heard you wrong."

Dr. Martin took a deep breath, "Alright there are three routes for someone with Hanahaki disease," he held up three fingers, putting one down with each example, "One: the patient dies, suffocating on the flowers. Two: the person they fell in love with returns their love, no longer making it unrequited. And Three: the patient has the surgery to remove the flowers and their love with it."

Lance hung on every word that escaped his lips, unsure of where he was going with this.

Dr. Martin pointed at Lance, "You, however, had the surgery. It was unsuccessful, so the flowers grew back. At that point, death is pretty much guaranteed." He crossed his arms again, staring at the boy in complete bewilderment. "But you escaped death many times. You always came back no matter how far gone you were. And now," he picked up the envelope for emphasis, "there are no signs of flowers ever being in those lungs of yours."

Lance was confused, "Wait, but that's impossible."

"It  _was,_ " he shrugged and huffed, "But you stayed alive long enough to fall for someone else. You don't have Hanahaki disease because you aren't involved in an unrequited love anymore." He laughed in amazement, "and  _that,_ wow, that has never happened before. Most likely because people die before then."

"So," Lance tried to gather his thoughts, "what you're saying is: I'm not sick anymore."

"We will have to test you periodically to make sure, but your lungs are healthy."

A tear fell down his cheek and sunk into the carpet. "I'm not gonna die?" Lance choked out.

Dr. Martin smiled, "As far as I and all of the staff of this hospital can see, you are a healthy young man with healthy lungs."

Lance slowly stood up, "Am I allowed to go?"

Dr. Martin smiled, "Of course. There's nothing you have to take or do anymore-other than come to your appointments-so go live your life."

Lance ran his fingers through his hair and took a couple steps. He opened the door and jumped out, but rushed back in to shake Dr. Martin's hand, "Thank you for saving my life."

Lance sprinted through the halls and turned several corners. He frantically searched the waiting room. Keith stood up and started to walk towards him, "Lance, what's the-"

Lance ran and jumped onto him, squeezing as hard as he could. Keith caught him and hugged back.

"What?! What did they say?!" Keith's voice was shaky and desperate.

Lance leaned back and took his cheek in his hands, "I'm cured."

Keith stared in surprise, "What?"

"No more flowers! They're gone!" Lance laughed and kissed him deeply.

"Really?!" Keith pushed out in disbelief.

"Really!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah!"

Keith spun Lance around happily, the two shouting laughs of relief. They cried into each other's shoulders' and kissed passionately.

Lance broke a kiss, "Let's get Sprinkles and go home."

"You want Sprinkles?" Keith chuckled.

"Of course! I love that damn cat!"

They went to the park to retrieve the cat, who happily greeted them. Then, went to aunt Julia's cafe and told her the good news. She cried for a long time, keeping Lance in her grasp and thanking Keith over and over. After coming home, Lance put Sprinkles down and Keith pulled him into a deep kiss. Lance threaded his fingers into Keith's hair.

Keith pulled away, "Marry me."

Lance's eyes widened, "What?"

Keith pulled a box out of his suitcase, "Marry me." He opened it to a brilliant ring.

Lance gasped in surprise, bringing his hands to his mouth. The ring was sparkly and had a classy design carved into the sides, showing off a princess-cut diamond. Lance looked to Keith.

"I told you I wouldn't let you die and I would  _never_ leave you. I knew one day I would be given the honor to propose to you.

"So, Lance McClain," he leaned down onto one knee and held up the box. A joyful tear slipped down his cheek, "Will you stay with me forever?"

Lance's face was a mess of smiles and tears. He jumped into Keith, holding his shoulders tightly, "Yes, you crazy son of a bitch!"

Keith slipped the ring on his finger laughing, "Now you can never die on me."

Lance giggled and pecked his cheek, "We both know I'm never gonna die."

(((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))♡

Thanks for reading!! As a treat, I'm gonna just leave this here:

The story is called "Hana" which means flower in Japanese. This references both the flowers that Lance had in his lungs and Hanahaki disease.  
Each chapter is a type of flower with a corresponding meaning relating to it (it wasn't random). So here is the list of translations:

1) Anemone: Forsaken  
2) White Clover: Think of me.  
3) Sweet Pea: Pleasures  
4) Rhododendron: Danger  
5) Savory: Interest  
6) Dog Rose: Pleasure and Pain  
7) Edelweiss: Devotion  
8) Yellow Carnation: Rejection  
9) Violet: Faithfulness   
10) Red Tulip: Declaration Of Love  
11) Purple Hyacinth: Forgiveness  
12) Honeysuckle: Bonds of Love  
13) Heliotrope: Eternal Love  
ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ


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